New Everglades Vegetation Maps to Guide Restoration Efforts

Map specialists, scientists and vegetation experts at the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) have created the most detailed vegetation maps ever produced of the southern Everglades, giving water and land managers an additional tool to guide Everglades restoration. The new vegetation maps identify the locations of exotic and native species across several thousand square miles in southern Florida, providing a baseline to measure improvements from hydrologic and water quality restoration programs.

"Breaking new ground is part of what is required for Everglades restoration success," said SFWMD Executive Director Carol Ann Wehle. "We are continually broadening our scientific understanding of the unique Everglades ecosystem and applying what we learn to maximize restoration results."

Details on the maps can be combined with other data about a specific area (i.e., wildlife population, soil chemistry, water quality) to get a broader picture of Everglades health. The Everglades is a mosaic of sawgrass prairies, hardwood hammocks, cypress swamps, coastal lagoons, mangroves and pinelands. Once a vast, free-flowing river of grass extending from the Kissimmee chain of lakes to Florida Bay, the Everglades is now an ecosystem in peril. More than half the Everglades wetlands have been lost to development.

Vegetation maps have been completed for Everglades Water Conservation Area 1 and Water Conservation Area 2 in Palm Beach and Broward counties. District scientists are now generating similar maps for Everglades National Park, Water Conservation Area 3 in Broward County, portions of Big Cypress National Preserve and areas within the southeastern coastal wetlands of Florida. When mapping is complete, the district will have vegetation information reflecting 4,200 sq miles of the southern Everglades.

Finalized maps will soon be publicly available online. District specialists plan to update the maps every six years.

The state of Florida, the Florida Legislature and the SFWMD have appropriated $2.4 billion toward the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan. An additional $1.8 billion has been invested in Everglades water quality improvements.

Source: Environmental-Expert